After one of the most controversial eliminations in RuPaul's Drag Race herstory, the terminally delightful BenDeLaCreme did not go home empty-handed. During Monday night's finale it was DeLa who was given the second highest honor of the night, Miss Congeniality. But she's not stopping there. Miss Congeniality is taking her infectiously positive attitude to New York City, alongside collaborators and close friends Kitten LaRue and Lou Henry Hoover!
The Seattle starlit is set to premiere her new show, Terminally Delightful, at the Laurie Beechman Theater in NYC, tonight, Wednesday, May 21st. This show is jam packed with all the things we adore about DeLa, including her "high camp hijinx... as she peels away the outer layers of artifice to reveal the artifice within."
Drag Official was able to catch up with DeLa on a quick break from rehearsals to learn more about Terminally Delightful, how her experience was on Drag Race, and to delve into her future plans!
The Seattle starlit is set to premiere her new show, Terminally Delightful, at the Laurie Beechman Theater in NYC, tonight, Wednesday, May 21st. This show is jam packed with all the things we adore about DeLa, including her "high camp hijinx... as she peels away the outer layers of artifice to reveal the artifice within."
Drag Official was able to catch up with DeLa on a quick break from rehearsals to learn more about Terminally Delightful, how her experience was on Drag Race, and to delve into her future plans!
Drag Official: How have things been since filming? Was your experience on RuPaul's Drag Race everything you had hoped for?
BenDeLaCreme: Yeah, it's been amazing! I mean, I have to say it has sort of been the perfect version of what it could be, in terms of.. I went on the show because I already love what I do, and I've been working and doing drag full-time for six years now and producing my own shows, and I just wanted the opportunity to take it to the next level and broaden the places that I get to go and perform, and it's been more than I've ever expected, in that way. It's been awesome and I think the audience's response to me has been more than I ever expected, honestly, from RuPaul's Drag Race. It's been awesome.
D.O.: Now that the season is over, do you feel that BenDeLaCreme was accurately portrayed on the show?
BDLC: I think that both Ben and DeLa were as well portrayed on the show as I could hope for by reality TV. You know what I mean? It's not a whole picture, but it was never going to be, you know? That's not reality TV. I feel well represented, I feel like they got you a lot of the core values of me and the core values of my character, but you know, any time you have just a single story about somebody, you don't have all the information, but I don't feel I was misrepresented in any way.
BenDeLaCreme: Yeah, it's been amazing! I mean, I have to say it has sort of been the perfect version of what it could be, in terms of.. I went on the show because I already love what I do, and I've been working and doing drag full-time for six years now and producing my own shows, and I just wanted the opportunity to take it to the next level and broaden the places that I get to go and perform, and it's been more than I've ever expected, in that way. It's been awesome and I think the audience's response to me has been more than I ever expected, honestly, from RuPaul's Drag Race. It's been awesome.
D.O.: Now that the season is over, do you feel that BenDeLaCreme was accurately portrayed on the show?
BDLC: I think that both Ben and DeLa were as well portrayed on the show as I could hope for by reality TV. You know what I mean? It's not a whole picture, but it was never going to be, you know? That's not reality TV. I feel well represented, I feel like they got you a lot of the core values of me and the core values of my character, but you know, any time you have just a single story about somebody, you don't have all the information, but I don't feel I was misrepresented in any way.
D.O.: Is the character of BenDeLaCreme something that has developed over a number of years, or was it always the perpetually optimistic one we see today?
BDLC: It definitely developed through a lot of different twists and turns. I didn't start going out and performing until I turned 21, but in high school I would do school events, like talent show type things in drag, and it was terrible, I mean, it was awful. Character drag was always what I was drawn towards, but my character actually started out really bitchy. The first few times that I did drag, I was definitely more snarky, more diva-y, which I think is a really natural place for drag to start for a lot of people, because I think sort of as gay men we feel disenfranchised in a lot of ways, so when you sort of feel this power dynamic shift for the first time, the first thing you do, is like go to this like bitchy place, but the longer you do it, you get more comfortable. I started seeing that this place of power of kindness was more effective and something that I was more drawn to.
BDLC: It definitely developed through a lot of different twists and turns. I didn't start going out and performing until I turned 21, but in high school I would do school events, like talent show type things in drag, and it was terrible, I mean, it was awful. Character drag was always what I was drawn towards, but my character actually started out really bitchy. The first few times that I did drag, I was definitely more snarky, more diva-y, which I think is a really natural place for drag to start for a lot of people, because I think sort of as gay men we feel disenfranchised in a lot of ways, so when you sort of feel this power dynamic shift for the first time, the first thing you do, is like go to this like bitchy place, but the longer you do it, you get more comfortable. I started seeing that this place of power of kindness was more effective and something that I was more drawn to.
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D.O.: RuPaul's Drag Race gives queens a platform to speak about a number of different issues. Was your past history of depression something you intended to bring up and talk about on the show to draw awareness to the issue or did it come up unexpectedly?
BDLC: Well, you know, I think it's somewhere in between, because, you know, I didn't go in with like "I want to be the voice of speaking out about depression or whatever", but I did go in with a really strong conviction that I was going to be really truthful in who I was. The thing with depression and any sort of mental illness or anxiety issue is that it's so stigmatized because you can't see it so people don't talk about it a lot. That's what I would say is maybe 50% of the issues that come with something like depression, is because it's invisible and you feel alone. Anytime I've heard an artist speak frankly and publicly, and without a sense of shame about those types of issues, it's always really helped to inspire me, so I kind of made that commitment a long time ago to not feel any sort of sense of shame about it.
D.O.: Alright, onto the show everyone is so excited about.. Terminally Delightful is described as "an evening of high camp hijinx." Can you tell us a little bit more about what fans can expect from the show?
BDLC: It's a real hodgepodge of a lot of different kinds of work I've started over the years, and in many ways it's really interesting because I feel that in some ways the show has developed into Ben making a show about DeLa. It's very much a reflection of my kind of experience in coming into the spotlight, in this way where DeLa's been the public persona, Ben's been private, and now casting Ben into the light is a lot of what the show is about, it's kind of the duality of those two things. It's all done through comedy and song and burlesque and dance and video, and it's going to be a really fun time, but it's also about the real experience of going through the Drag Race machine.
BDLC: Well, you know, I think it's somewhere in between, because, you know, I didn't go in with like "I want to be the voice of speaking out about depression or whatever", but I did go in with a really strong conviction that I was going to be really truthful in who I was. The thing with depression and any sort of mental illness or anxiety issue is that it's so stigmatized because you can't see it so people don't talk about it a lot. That's what I would say is maybe 50% of the issues that come with something like depression, is because it's invisible and you feel alone. Anytime I've heard an artist speak frankly and publicly, and without a sense of shame about those types of issues, it's always really helped to inspire me, so I kind of made that commitment a long time ago to not feel any sort of sense of shame about it.
D.O.: Alright, onto the show everyone is so excited about.. Terminally Delightful is described as "an evening of high camp hijinx." Can you tell us a little bit more about what fans can expect from the show?
BDLC: It's a real hodgepodge of a lot of different kinds of work I've started over the years, and in many ways it's really interesting because I feel that in some ways the show has developed into Ben making a show about DeLa. It's very much a reflection of my kind of experience in coming into the spotlight, in this way where DeLa's been the public persona, Ben's been private, and now casting Ben into the light is a lot of what the show is about, it's kind of the duality of those two things. It's all done through comedy and song and burlesque and dance and video, and it's going to be a really fun time, but it's also about the real experience of going through the Drag Race machine.
D.O.: I'm glad you brought up the issue of coming up into the spotlight because throughout this season, Ben has been able to maintain a surprising amount of privacy. For months, sleuths weren't even able to figure out your last names. Was that what you were hoping for?
BDLC: Yeah, you know, I never intentionally hid my last name. It wasn't like it was secret for any reason. A certain amount of information was pertinent, and a certain amount wasn't. And nobody ever actually just asked me directly, and I wasn't like, "No, I'll never tell you". I think to a certain point, I'm very thankful for Drag Race. I really enjoyed my experience, I really enjoyed everything it's bringing me, but I never auditioned before this season. I really resisted it because part of me is a little bit resistant to the part of reality TV culture that just lets us all think that we should have access to anybody if they step into the spotlight. I don't feel guarded or yielded, but I also don't necessarily feel that just because I went on a TV show everybody gets to know like what my breakfast was like that day. Specifically with the nature of this show, it's not like Jersey Shore, you're not going on it because you're a person who wants to be a celebrity. You're going on it because you have a love for your art form, and you want to get your career to the next level, and that's doesn't necessarily always go hand in hand with being a celebrity.
BDLC: Yeah, you know, I never intentionally hid my last name. It wasn't like it was secret for any reason. A certain amount of information was pertinent, and a certain amount wasn't. And nobody ever actually just asked me directly, and I wasn't like, "No, I'll never tell you". I think to a certain point, I'm very thankful for Drag Race. I really enjoyed my experience, I really enjoyed everything it's bringing me, but I never auditioned before this season. I really resisted it because part of me is a little bit resistant to the part of reality TV culture that just lets us all think that we should have access to anybody if they step into the spotlight. I don't feel guarded or yielded, but I also don't necessarily feel that just because I went on a TV show everybody gets to know like what my breakfast was like that day. Specifically with the nature of this show, it's not like Jersey Shore, you're not going on it because you're a person who wants to be a celebrity. You're going on it because you have a love for your art form, and you want to get your career to the next level, and that's doesn't necessarily always go hand in hand with being a celebrity.
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D.O.: So back to the show.. is it a one-woman show, or are other people involved in it as well?
BDLC: I'm just going to say that it's a one-woman show, and if there are any surprises, the show will only heightened by that going into it.
D.O. A photo of you serving Michelle Visage realness went viral on the internet recently. What are the chances that your Michelle look will make it into the show? Was that a one time thing?
BDLC: There is a very good chance that Michelle will be making an appearance in the show. There may be some character cameos happening.
D.O.: You've already had shows added to your run, which quickly sold out. Is 'Terminally Delightful' something you would do another round of or take on tour to additional cities?
BDLC: Yeah, I've been feeling excited about both of those ideas. I'm excited to see how this first round goes, and how it goes over, but I definitely am interested in it coming back for another round either here or elsewhere, for sure.
BDLC: I'm just going to say that it's a one-woman show, and if there are any surprises, the show will only heightened by that going into it.
D.O. A photo of you serving Michelle Visage realness went viral on the internet recently. What are the chances that your Michelle look will make it into the show? Was that a one time thing?
BDLC: There is a very good chance that Michelle will be making an appearance in the show. There may be some character cameos happening.
D.O.: You've already had shows added to your run, which quickly sold out. Is 'Terminally Delightful' something you would do another round of or take on tour to additional cities?
BDLC: Yeah, I've been feeling excited about both of those ideas. I'm excited to see how this first round goes, and how it goes over, but I definitely am interested in it coming back for another round either here or elsewhere, for sure.
D.O.: Is there anything else about the show we didn't address that you would like to add?
BDLC: I'm just trying to get this thing off the ground, and I feel that this show in particular is really distinctly me, and I think people are going to see something that is a little different from what they might expect or what they've seen from some of the other girls from the season or from the show in general. Also, just to give a little shout out, the production partners I work with a lot in Seattle, have actually collaborated with me on a lot of the content in the show, Kitten LaRue and Lou Henry Hoover, and the three of us do a lot of productions together in Seattle, as well. We'll be going back to doing our Freedom Fantasia this July in Seattle, so everyone should come back out to Seattle for that.
D.O.: You've done this show before, correct?
BDLC: Yes, this will actually be our fifth year doing it! ...Or maybe fourth.
D.O.: Alright, well best of luck, and thanks again for taking the time to chat with us about all the exciting things going on in your life right now!
We're so glad we could catch this talented queen for a few minutes. If you live in NYC or anywhere close, you cannot miss this show! We can tell already its going to be a smashing success. Check out which showtimes still have tickets available here.
BDLC: I'm just trying to get this thing off the ground, and I feel that this show in particular is really distinctly me, and I think people are going to see something that is a little different from what they might expect or what they've seen from some of the other girls from the season or from the show in general. Also, just to give a little shout out, the production partners I work with a lot in Seattle, have actually collaborated with me on a lot of the content in the show, Kitten LaRue and Lou Henry Hoover, and the three of us do a lot of productions together in Seattle, as well. We'll be going back to doing our Freedom Fantasia this July in Seattle, so everyone should come back out to Seattle for that.
D.O.: You've done this show before, correct?
BDLC: Yes, this will actually be our fifth year doing it! ...Or maybe fourth.
D.O.: Alright, well best of luck, and thanks again for taking the time to chat with us about all the exciting things going on in your life right now!
We're so glad we could catch this talented queen for a few minutes. If you live in NYC or anywhere close, you cannot miss this show! We can tell already its going to be a smashing success. Check out which showtimes still have tickets available here.
